Nation: The Man Who Quit Kicking the Wall

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At a family breakfast in Atlantic City last Wednesday morning, Hubert Humphrey turned to his 16-year-old son Doug and asked:

"How would you like your Dad to be Vice President?"

"That would be swell," said the boy.

"Well," said Humphrey, "he's going to be."

As of that moment, Humphrey thought he had absolute assurance from the White House that he would be Lyndon Johnson's running mate. But before the day was out, the President, milking the last drop of suspense from a generally suspenseless convention, was to give Humphrey a few bad moments. Hubert...